Peek-A-Boo

Kyley has always loved playing peek-a-boo.  However, the tables have turned.  She loves to be the one hiding.  She will cover her eyes with any blanket, her clothes while changing her diaper or her hands.  It is so much fun to see her do this and to realize how well she knows her name.  It is amazing to me how fast kids learn in general  If she has her eyes covered and I say "where is mommy" she will immediately uncover them and look for me...and if I say "where is Kyley" she will then immediately cover her eyes...it is truly adorable.  Who knew peek-a-boo could be so much fun???

All the Small Things

Most of our days are filled with a very normal routine, but we have so much fun performing that routine.  And, you cannot imagine how much fun we have when we do something new on any given day.  It is those small things that matter and mean so much...where the memories are made.

Kyley is a chatterbox.  She loves all words that begin with B..."baby", "ball", 'bye", "bug", "bottle", and "bath" are some of her best words.  And, she loves all of those things dearly for different reasons.  But, I never imagined that she would love her bath so much.  We have to be very careful not to say bath if we are not going to give her one...and give her one soon for that matter.  She will repeatedly scream bath until she is in the bathtub.  If we walk by her bathroom...she starts saying bath.  Kyley cannot get enough of bath time.  I am just thrilled that she likes to be clean:) and enjoys being in the water.  

She truly is going to be a daredevil.  She loves to swing and swing fast and high.  Kyley's favorite part of swinging is stopping and getting that first push all over again.  She is smart though and always holds on.  Her laughter and smiles while she is swinging cannot help but make you smile.

Kyley loves to be out in public.  We went out for lunch over the weekend, and she had so much fun.  I cannot believe how much this little girl loves seeing other people and how much she engages them...and they love her back.  She reminds me of her grandmother...they sure would have gotten along so well!

 

Just Sitting in My Chair

I have mentioned Kyley's chair before that she got with her birthday exchange money.  She is more and more obsessed with it all the time.  The scary part about that is that she pulls herself up on anything and everything, and she has no fear.  So, I stand and watch her facing her chair starting to climb up on it, kneeling on it, and as she is attempting to turn and sit....she realizes that she can rock.  We all know how this story ends.  Well, so far it has only ended that way one time.  I have been able to intercept the action and get her sitting before it is too late.  Kyley loves to sit in her Princess chair.  She will look at books, watch her show, play with her doll or any other toy she can reach (without tumbling forward which has also happened) or just sit and have a drink.  It almost makes me sad to see her sitting in her big girl chair...she doesn't look like my baby anymore.

Anyway, we finally decided to child proof the fireplace downstairs so that we could use the basement more often...as it is our favorite place to relax.  Well...honestly...our tv upstairs was at the appliance repair shop, and we couldn't live without tv any longer so our hand was forced lol!  With all that being said, I didn't want to drag her chair up and down the stairs all the time.  However, I did not have to as she found another chair.  She does not have the same love for this chair, but it sure entertains her and she loves to sit in it too!

I am just happy that Kyley takes some time to relax for a bit, because these days she is on the go, go, go!  Before we know it she will be too big to fit in these chairs but we will not forget how innocent and cute she looked sitting in them!

Shenanigans, Smiles and Silliness

Throughout the day I catch Kyley doing many new things now that she is so mobile.  These new things are also usually partnered with a big ol' grin or giggle.  She truly could be perceived as naughty...and I do not know where she could have learned this from already:)!  Every time I turn around she has pulled up on, crawled up on, cruised around or gotten into something.  There is no territory left undiscovered by this brave little explorer. 

Kyley is very mischievous.  Her daddy and I often catch her getting into trouble, and she will give us a big grin when we say no.  Or, she likes to repeat everything I say so I will get a "no, no, no" back.  She has this way of distracting you and letting you think she is focusing on one thing and then in a split second she is after the blinds, outlet or whatever it is that she is not supposed to be playing with.  We really are in a lot of trouble if this is starting now!

She also likes to free fall...yes, free fall...!!!!  Kyley will hold on to the end table, coffee table, fireplace ledge, whatever she is standing next to...lean back and let go.  It is then finished with a smile and/or a giggle.  I guess this is all part of learning, but I hope she doesn't learn the hard way.  And, she is looking at us for approval or rather disapproval every time.  

So, needless to say we are get ourselves prepared for more of her shenanigans, smiles and silliness...and naughtiness, of course!  And, we would be lying if we said we weren't enjoying it just a bit!

Who needs sleep?

 

It has been a long week at the Kubik house.  It actually started last weekend on our travels to Nebraska.  I mentioned that Kyley did not think she needed to nap more than 30 minutes a day while we were traveling.  Well, she has the napping thing all figured out, but our perfect night time sleeper has disappeared.  Now, I will admit that last night was better than the rest of the week.  However, she does not want to stay down at night.  She wakes up "crying" but no tears most often, but overall Kyley just seems uncomfortable.  We haven't figured out what the main issue is, but we have figured out what some of the issues are.  

#1 Constipation

#2 Teeth

#3 Growth Physically and Developmentally

#4 Night Terrors

Is it truly possible for a person so small to have all these issues lol??  Anyway, it seems worthwhile to share all the peaceful sleepy pictures I have taken this week...as they have been few and far between!  Here's to a new week of sleep...because we need it!

Kyley's new kicks

Well, Kyley has rarely ever worn shoes.  I know that probably seems odd or lazy, but she has never really liked having them on.  So, of course I don't want to make her uncomfortable:).   Also, it seems like her feet are too wide for most shoes her size...which is small as she has the tiniest feet ever.  In fact, we just barely moved in to size 3 at 15 1/2 months old.   As she has become more and more mobile and REALLY wanting to walk lately, I have made a concerted effort to put shoes on her.   I also figured she needed a more solid pair of shoes rather than all the cutesy sandals that she has...for walking practice.

Kyley is not too fond of them.   She does not cry or fuss, but she spends more time focusing on the shoes than her balance.  Kyley will play with them, chew on them, look at them...pretty much anything but walk in them.  Honestly, they seem a bit heavy and look awkward so I do not entirely blame her.  They become a game to her.  A game that she ultimately ends up winning, and she is back to her bare feet in no time.

On another note...I think her daddy is okay with the fact that I haven't been too interested in buying shoes for her up to this point.  He knows when that starts, she will have more shoes than she can find time to where.  I mean seriously...have you seen how cute little girls shoes are these days???

Some Summer Fun in Nebraska

We decided to head to Nebraska this past weekend...for no reason other than to say hello to whatever family that we could, see a dear friend and her newest born (back in December...yikes), visit Grandma Denise at the cemetery, and sneak in a date night with Kyley!  We were very anxious in anticipation of this trip or the drive actually...after our last trip to Nebraska in April for Kyley's birthday (could that much time already have passed???)!  We even went as far as making sure we had her new car seat purchased and broke in, dvd player and "Happy Feet" in tow, cheerios stocked and plenty of music and other activities.  Well, I am very happy to report that it was a wonderful, peaceful drive.  Kyley did awesome outside of the fact that she decided sleeping was not necessary in the car.  Oh well, I guess if that is the worst of it...we will deal!  She pushed on through like a champ!

Friday night we stayed at Great Grandma Dorothy's in Prague.  We had actually never stayed there as a family, so it is kind of neat to have created that memory and experience for Kyley.  Grandpa Bob and Great Aunt Dale came to visit, and we had a really nice dinner and visit.  The funniest part was when Great Grandma said she would watch Kyley play while we ate...little did she know that when she set Kyley down...she was off.  I guess she was not aware of how mobile Kyley had become since she visited over Father's Day weekend.  Kyley, as always, had fun causing trouble with her Grandpa Bob and showing off to Great Aunt Dale.  She was worn out by the end of the night and raring to go the next morning.  We visited her Grandma Denise at the cemetery before we left town.  There was a portion of this poem/quote on a stone by her headstone that we had not seen there before and I wanted to share as it really is so fitting.  Kyley is so blessed to have visited both of her special angels last week.

God saw you were getting tired
And it was not meant to be,
So he put his arms around you
And whispered,''come to me''.
With tearful eyes we watched you
And saw you pass away,
Although we loved you dearly
We could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating
Hard working hands at rest
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best!

Saturday we headed into Omaha to have lunch with both Grandpa Bob and Grandpa Des, Uncle Mitch, Aunt Christine and Cousin Mason.  Well, once again...Kyley was passing out the kisses to the baby.  She loves, loves, loves little kids and is always wanting to hug and kiss them.  It was so much fun to see all of them and to see Mason and Kyley together.  She was doing plenty of showing off for everyone, and Mason was doing plenty of smiling!  Seeing the two of them together made me think there really is a little bit of Smith in her...not all her daddy:)!

Everyone else that we wanted to see had busy schedules, so we decided to have a date night with Kyley.  We stayed down in the Old Market in Omaha at the Mariott...not Kyley's first hotel stay but the first one for fun!  We had a gift certificate to use at Omaha Prime, so we took her there...and to our surprise there were quite a few other children eating there.  Anyway, she was an angel, and we got to enjoy one of the best dinners ever!  After dinner we took her on a Magical Journey carriage ride...something that he Grandma Denise would have loved to do with her.  It was so much fun, and honestly Kyley truly enjoyed it.  She was a smiling, happy chatterbox.  Our horse, Luke, was quite entertaining for her too.  Mommy and daddy also enjoyed the ride.  We took a riverfront tour, and we got to see the flooding and how bad it truly is (and it was not at its peak)!  It was one of the best date nights ever, and we all got plenty of sleep despite the storms that ripped through the city...in fact, it rained while we were on the carriage.  We will be doing that again soon!

Sunday we were off to Lincoln for the last stop on our weekend tour.  We went to visit one of mommy's oldest and dearest friends, Jada and her two girls, Ruby and Sophie.  We had not yet met Sophie due to the doctor's restrictions during the winter and other schedule conflicts.  Well, Sophie could be Ruby's twin.  It is unbelievable how much she looks like Ruby did when she was a baby!  She is very adorable and laid back.  Ruby is still as outgoing as ever, and so much fun to be around.  Kyley had fun playing with the girls, and mommy had fun catching up with Jada.  We miss them so much!  We even had time to get our favorite for lunch...yep...Lazlo's!  It was the best end to our trip that one could ever imagine!  And, it was a great ride home!  Thank you Graco Smart Seat and "Happy Feet" for being Kyley's favorite movie ever!

We are already anxiously waiting for our next Nebraska trip!  We love our home and living in Wichita, but we sure miss our family and friends back in Nebraska.  It was so great to get some Summer fun in with some of them before the Summer is officially over!

We finally got out of the house!

Last week was just as hot as ever, but we were able to take advantage of the storms cooling off the morning on Thursday.  By cooling off...I mean it was still 80-90 degrees, but we made it work!  Cousin Calyn and Aunt Emily got to join us, so this made our trip to the zoo even more fun!  They are that perfect age when they enjoy being pushed around in the stroller so they can look around at all the animals and people, and we can talk and all get some air and exercise.  We visited a few animals that Kyley and I had not seen the last few times we were at the zoo...the bears and the tigers.  She loves them all, but the penguins are still on the top of her list!  After a few hours of walking in the humidity, the little ladies were ready for some lunch and naps.  The mommies were drenched in sweat and ready for showers.  All in all it was a great trip, and we were happy to finally get out of the house...if even for just a few hours!

Visit to Babyland

"Precious Little One, We had you in our lives such a very short time, but we’ll hold you in our hearts forever.  It seemed like only a fleeting moment, but it was long enough to see you, touch you, hold you, love you.  It was long enough to know that your life was indeed a gift- no matter how brief, no matter how fragile, Your life was indeed a gift, and we’ll hold you in our hearts forever."  by Author Unknown

We go out to Resthaven regularly to visit Kyndal.  It truly is a wonderful cemetery, and we couldn't have asked for a better location.  She is buried in a beautiful spot in an area they call "Babyland".  It is very sad when you think about the fact that all these little ones were taken from us too soon, but it is also refreshing to know that we all have these special little angels watching over us.  We went out to visit her last Wednesday on the anniversary of their due date.  It is amazing how far we have come in 15 months.  We are blessed to have our beautiful baby girl, Kyley, and our beautiful angel, Kyndal, watching over her.

Smashcake Day

Well, we are very behind in our posts, but we have had a busy 10 days since we last posted.  Kyley got over her tummy bug, but it really messed up our schedule.  So, we spent all week getting back on schedule only to mess it up again by traveling.  However, it was a great week and totally worth it.

Kyley was 15 months old on July 28th.  But, August 3rd was the anniversary of her actual "due date".  So as the doctor's refer to her adjusted age...that is when she would have been 1 year old "adjusted".  If you have been paying attention to her progress lately, you will have noticed that she is really catching up to her actual age in everything.  For the most part we do not even refer to this adjusted age anymore, but there are some things we of course still have to consider it for.  Anyway, her doctor did not want her to have sugar or cake on her actual 1 year birthday.  He did not feel that her digestive system was quite ready or fully developed to be able to process it.  So, we did not get to give her the traditional "smashcake".  I will admit that it was not as big of a deal for me because I am all about avoiding sugar as long as possible...it is addictive and really serves no good purpose.  However, her daddy really wanted her to have that whole experience.  So, he got permission from her doctor's office to celebrate this momentous occasion on her "adjusted" birthday or anniversary of her due date.  FYI...she will not celebrate this day every year!

Well, Jason and I made bets on what she would do.  I watch her eat every day 3 times a day, and I did not think she would have any interest at all at least in eating it.  He really thought she would go after it, because she has a tendency to demolish every thing she eats.  She did not do much to be honest.  Kyley put her hands in it, and she had one little taste.  Then, she pretty much just sat there looking at us like "get this stuff off of my fingers"!  OH WELL...we can't say we didn't allow her to have the experience, and we enjoyed the little party. 

Uncle Greg, Aunt Emily and Cousin Calyn came over to celebrate with us, and Kyley was most excited about playing with Calyn anyway.  She was full of hugs and kisses...when she could hold Calyn still for a minute. You could actually see the jealousy in Kyley's eyes as she watched her cousin run circles around her...she wants to walk too, but she has some strength and balance work to do first.  We finally decided at the end of the evening to put Kyley on a level playing field as Calyn, so we put her in the walker.  And, OH MY did it become the most hysterical game ever.  First, Calyn was pushing Kyley, and then Kyley was chasing Calyn.  They were flying through the house like crazy girls.  At one point Calyn was even crawling away lol!  The girls were having so much fun, and the parents were having even more fun watching.  Look out...these girls will be trouble!